A Yield to Caution: Corby Spirit and Wine Ltd.

Article Excerpt

CORBY SPIRIT AND WINE LTD. $18 (Toronto symbol CSW.A; Shares o/s: 28.5 million; Market cap: $513.0 million; Divd. yield: 4.9%; www.corby.ca) is a Canadian marketer and distributor of both alcoholic spirits and wines. France’s Pernod Ricard, a global leader in the industry, holds a 51.6% stake in the company. The portfolio of liquor brands that the company owns includes iconic Canadian labels such as J.P. Wiser’s, Lamb’s rum and Polar Ice vodka. Corby is also the Canadian distributor of Pernod Ricard brands—among them Absolut vodka and Chivas Regal. The company offers a high current yield of 4.9%. It occasionally also pays a special dividend, most recently $0.44 a share in January 2019. The demand for spirits in Canada has flattened, and the alcoholic beverage industry is highly competitive, with not much room for growth. Distributors are also subject to extensive regulation and taxation. Furthermore, Pernod’s control of Corby means that it could favour the interests of its own brands and shareholders at the expense of Corby’s portfolio…